20 weeks into this marvelousness : )

Pregnancy #2 is absolutely FLYING by thanks to my busy toddler that keeps me on the move all day every day! I realized the other day that I have not blogged very much specifically about this pregnancy so here we go : )

Some common questions I have heard throughout:

1. Were you trying to get pregnant?

After our 2 1/2 year journey to getting pregnant with Charlotte, we felt great peace about seeing what the Lord had in mind for a timeline in conceiving another child. We joked on the way home from the hospital with brand new baby Charlotte that we were ready to have another baby right away. We definitely began to strongly desire a second child as we neared Charlotte's first birthday. It actually happened the week after I stopped nursing....this is good to know as we move forward in growing our family : )

2. Do you want another girl or a boy?

Of course I head this more frequently prior to finding out it is a girl but still, I love this question. It makes me laugh because after being around many families, it seems like parents LOVE whatever they have. I would venture to say that most would agree that God perfectly places a son or a daughter & any combination of, under the care of a mother and father. I can't wait to see if we will have more girls or a boy one of these days : ) For a long time I pictured myself as a boy mom....not sure why but it could have something to do with having brothers. I was convinced Charlotte was a boy and actually called her "Owen" until my sonogram at 18 weeks. When the sonographer said she was a girl, I was shocked! It took about 2 seconds to change my thinking & be thrilled about a girl : ) This time around, I found myself equally as excited and emotional about having either. When I found out it was another girl, I cried like it was all I ever wanted : )

3. Have you been sick this pregnancy?

Haha! Charlotte got me used to what my "norm" is in the first half of pregnancy. It actually made it much easier to tolerate this time around. I threw up everyday, sometimes more than once & felt pretty awful until 16 weeks. Zofran got me through the day that I worked but on the days I was home, I toughed it out most of the time. The weird thing was that even with the nausea, I was starving all the time.

4. How are you feeling about having two kids?

GREAT! From what I hear, my little organized life is about to be rocked but I really can't wait. Lord willing there will be more after this one so I might as well get used to it.

5. Does Charlotte have any clue what's going on?

I think she does...more so in the recent weeks. She is very interested in my belly & if anyone asks where the baby is, she can't help but lift up my shirt & show me off to whomever asked the question : ) She sometimes shows her belly too. She received a book about being a big sister from my parents & we read it at her request multiple times each day. She loves pointing at the baby and nodding her head "yes" when you ask if she is going to be a big sister. She kisses my belly each night after we pray for Charlotte & her sister. She is obsessed with other babies so I have no doubt she will enjoy having her own at home.

Here is the 20 week picture from each pregnancy, left- this time, right- last time

I really don't see any difference, do you?

One thing that I am excited about is that I have kept up my weekly belly book entries with this pregnancy. I was determined to not jip this little one out of something special I did for her big sister & I am actually really enjoying journaling. It forces me to take time out to focus just on baby #2 & recognize how amazing pregnancy really is.

This sweet girl does have a name which we will share soon. Many of you may know that we are still debating on a middle name & will hopefully have that figured out by the day she arrives : )

She is big enough now to kick hard enough to see it on the outside. Robby got to feel her kick last week and Charlotte cannot stay still long enough to wait...imagine that!

I had a dream about her the other night. It was the end of labor with delivery. I didn't feel a thing (unlike my previous delivery), she came out with one push (unlike my previous delivery) & she weighed under 8 lbs.... 7lbs 14 ounces to be exact (unlike my previous delivery). She looked very different from Charlotte but was gorgeous & we were in love at first sight (JUST like my previous delivery).

Pregnancy is marvelous, the nausea & vomiting for me is out weighed entirely by feeling those sweet little tootsies kicking in my belly & knowing the love that I have for her is only growing stronger.

We are back to the OB for a regular check up tomorrow & look forward to hearing that strong heart beating! We continue trusting the Lord as he is sovereign over her growth & development along with sustaining her each day of her life. We love you baby girl.....20 more weeks and you will be in our arms!